


Lost By Sea

by Emo_texas_toast



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Flashbacks for that good plot development, Fluff, Hunk is a softie but he can cut a bitch, Inspired by Art, Keith is sassy and knows how to throw shade, Lance has ways of dealing with it tho, M/M, MCD, Memory Loss, Pidge is a nerd and loves to tease Lance, but she still loves him, human to mermaid au, i honestly don't know what i'm doing, jk... you'll see what happens ;), keith probably needs a break, lance is an adventurous boy, mermaid au, mermaids/mermen are hunted for money/sport, slow(?) burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-03 14:31:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11534187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emo_texas_toast/pseuds/Emo_texas_toast
Summary: Keith is executed by being drowned but when people die at sea they become a mermaid so when Lance finds Keith on the brink of death, unable to save him he waits so that he can be there and help the new mermaid have a smooth transition into undersea life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Mermaid au](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/307779) by Yaxxm. 



> This is my first ever fic so I hope you don't judge me too harshly. TBH I couldn't have even thought of this if it weren't for @yaxxm's (on tumblr) art. I saw it and I was like, WOW OKAY SO THIS IS A THING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN! And so it happened. I hope I can do her art justice and that you guys enjoy this fic. Please let me know what you think in the comments or hit me up on my IG: @emo.texas.toast  
> Art link: http://yaxxm.tumblr.com/post/161005783526/keith-is-executed-by-being-drowned-but-when-people#notes

  _It's cold._

 Those are the first words that come to his mind.

_It's dark._

 Those are the second.

  _I don't deserve this._

 Are the third.

  _No, I do._

 Are the fourth.

  _But I don't want to die._

 Are his last.

  
~~~

  
 "Lance, don't you think you're going a little too close to the shore?"

 Lance stops and turns around to face his worried friend, raising his arms in protest, "Are you kidding me? I can just barely see the shore from here!"

 "Yeah, but that's the whole point!" The darker merman exclaims, "We're not supposed to be able to see it at all!"

 "Aw, come on, Hunk!" Lance pouts, "Where's your sense of adventure?"

 "Back at home, where it's safe," he answers, "You know, if you stop now and come with me, you might be able to find it."

 "Ha ha," Lance rolls his eyes.

 "So I take that as a no?" Hunk says defeatedly.

 "Glad you understand me buddy!" Lance replies as he turns back around, "See, this is why you're my best friend."

 "I question that decision every day," Hunk mumbles under his breath.

 Lance looks over his shoulder with fake hurt in his eyes, trying to get his friend to crack.

 Hunk lets out a heavy sigh in exasperation, "Fine, but I'm waiting here. And you better come back in thirty minutes, or I'm leaving."

 Lance grins, "One: you'd never leave me. And two: forty-five minutes?"

 "One: you got me there. Two: not a minute late!" Hunk finishes as his smaller friend rushes him with a hug.

 "You're the best!" Lance yells as he releases him.

 "Yeah, yeah and don't you forget it!"

 Lance is already swimming away as the words leave Hunk's mouth, and Lance laughs out a reply before he's out of ear shot, "Trust me, I won't!"

  
~~~

  
 After only a few minutes, Lance slows down, reluctantly, remembering his promise to his best friend.

 Looking around, Lance doesn't see much, but he doesn't mind. He didn't come here to look for any treasures today. No, he only ever comes this close to feel the sun on his skin. Even this far from the shore, he can already feel the sun warming him up. Lance lets out a relaxed sigh, and starts lazily swimming around.

 Then, he thinks of an idea, definitely something Hunk would never do, and he cracks a wide toothed grin. Flicking his tail fin back and forth rapidly, Lance races toward the surface. Once he's almost there, he lets out one last burst of speed and suddenly he's breathing air. The jump isn't as high as he'd like, toning it down for Hunk's sake, but he still yells for joy nonetheless.

 Once he's back in the water, it doesn't take long for Lance to come down from his energy high. When he does, he slowly floats back to the surface. He wants one last look at the shore, knowing he should probably go back soon, but not yet ready to leave. As his head finally pokes out of the water, Lance expects to see nothing but the calm water meeting the coast line. What he doesn't expect to see is the one thing Hunk is constantly warning him about.

 A boat.

 All the excitement from earlier leaves Lance as he imagine what would happen if the boat saw him. What would happen if the boat were filled with hunters. When Lance starts to think about it, he knows then he has to leave. But just as he's about to, the boat suddenly stops. Too far away for them to ever catch Lance. It's enough distance to make him curious. Something his sisters say will get him killed one day. Pushing the thought away from his mind, and hoping they hadn't yet seen him yet, Lance cautiously drifts towards the boat.

 Getting as close as he dares, Lance is able to get a better look at the boat. After a few seconds, he realizes it's not a hunting boat and starts to relax. However, just as he does, he hears a man screaming and it causes him to tense up all over again.

 Taking another look, Lance notices a handful of figures have emerged from inside the boat. One of them, the one Lance assumes is the source of the scream, is being held back by two others in a rather painful position. So far away, Lance is barely able to make out what the man being held is saying. Something along the lines of, "You can't do this to me... I didn't mean for this to happen!"

 A few more words are shouted, ones Lance can't hear clearly, he sees someone hit the man on the head. Hard. Lance winces as he watches the other figures scramble around the now sagging man. In no time at all, the two holding the man up drag him to the edge of the boat.

 The next events that occur go by so quickly, Lance is barely able to process what just happened. Almost as if it never occurred in the first place. All he remembers is seeing a flash of metal, hearing a loud splash, and the boat leaving a few seconds later.

 Shocked, Lance remains floating in the same spot even after the boat is a small speck in the distance. Realization hits him, and Lance starts swimming rapidly. Not really aware of ever making the decision to do so in the first place. But he doesn't swim towards Hunk, towards home. He swims in the direction of the long disappeared boat, and towards the place he hopes he didn't just see a body thrown into the sea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance tries to find what ever it was he saw being dropped into the water. But when he does, he doesn't know what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the comments and kudos! I didn't really think anyone would even read this, so you guys can imagine my surprise when I saw so many hits and even the original artist reading this. It really means a lot to me and I've been working all day to get another chapter out for you guys. So here it is!  
> One other thing, just for future reference: a handful of minutes = 5 minutes

 When racing into the unknown, one tends to have some pretty logical thoughts, Lance decides. Like: how can you even be sure it was a body, it could have just been more junk that the humans throw into the water. Or: even if it is, what are you going to do about it? And the one that Lance usually thinks of in situations like this: Hunk would definitely not approve, and he will definitely tell me so when I get back. However, he trusts his friend will understand if he knew Lance thought a life was at risk. Probably.

 But no matter what his friend might say, Lance also decided, that after seeing something like that, he can't just do nothing. He has to do something even if he doesn't know what that something is yet.

 Shaking the negative thoughts from his head, and hoping Hunk won't kill him later, Lance continues pushing forward, keeping his eyes on the sea floor. As he looks, he knows he's close to the spot where he saw the boat stop, but he has yet to see anything with a flash of metal or in the shape of a body. He wishes he could say that's good news, not finding anything, but he's certain something was dropped in the water.

 Even if it was the man screaming earlier.

 Lance shudders at the last thought.

 Then, Lance sees something shining out of the corner of his eye and he speeds towards it. Once there, he searches frantically for whatever it was he saw. When he finally does see it again and goes to pick it up, however, he's disappointed with what he finds. It turns out to be just a piece of scrap metal, too light to be the source of that loud splash, and it leaves Lance frustrated.

 "What the quiznak?!" He curses as he throws the piece of metal at the ground.

 Not wanting to waste anymore time, Lance quickly swims away to look somewhere else.

 Three pieces of junk later, and Lance is feeling a little hopeless. Swimming around aimlessly, having already checked the area where he _assumes_ he saw the boat, Lance is starting to think he just imagined the whole ordeal. Chalking it up to the overactive imagination his sisters keep telling him he has. Though he would almost always tell them his imagination is just fine, thank you, right now Lance is having a hard time believing those words.

 Realizing that his forty-five minutes are almost up, and that Hunk is probably starting to worry, Lance decides to call it quits. He lets out a heavy sigh when he slows down and starts to make his way back home.

 "It shouldn't be this hard to find something like _that_!" He grumbles.

 However, not even a second later, Lance spots another glint of metal not too far from him. He's about to dismiss it, thinking it's another piece of scrap metal, until he realizes it's not just one piece.

 It's four.

 Stopping to take a closer look, Lance realizes one other thing. The four pieces of metal are attached to something.

 A body.

 "Holy crow!" Lance gasps as he swims as fast as he can to the body.

 When he reaches it, he gives the body a quick once over. First pressing his ear to its chest, to find a heartbeat, and relieved to it hear beating faintly. Then Lance actually manages to get a good look at the body.

 He learns that this is in fact the man, or should he say boy, that he saw being held back in the boat. He looks to be around Lance's age, wearing only a tattered pair of pants, with stark black hair, hollowed-out cheeks, and extremely pale skin. Although, Lance assumes some of it's because of the cold water.

 Immediately, Lance tries to pull the boy up, hoping he can get him to the surface in time. Unfortunately, when he does, he's barely able to move him. Confused, Lance takes a closer look at the metal wrapped around the boy.

 It turns out that each piece is shaped like a ring, and that there's one clasped around each of the boy's arm and legs. He feels around one of the rings and notices there's a chain attached to it. Pulling on it, Lance discovers what caused him so much resistance buried in the sand.

 At the end of the chain, is a heavy iron ball.

 "Oh no," Lance whispers as he's filled with understanding.

 The boy was executed.

 Lance is suddenly overwhelmed with dread as he starts to question whether or not he should be saving this boy. He wonders if this is what the boy deserves. More importantly, what the boy did to deserve this kind of punishment.

 Lance glances back at the boy's face and notices there's blood coming from his temple from where he was hit earlier. It causes him to remember the cries he heard from him back on the boat. And it's in that moment Lance decides he doesn't care what the boy may or may not have done. He believes no one deserves to be treated this cruelly, and then be left to drown.

 Trying again, Lance pulls harder on the boy, but ends up with the same result.

 Panic starts to settle within Lance. He's not sure how long a human can hold their breathe underwater, only knowing the boy's been down here for the handful of minutes it took for Lance to find him. He also guesses being unconscious isn't helping either. Filled with concern, Lance checks for a heartbeat again to see if the boy is still alive.

 A few stressful seconds pass, but then Lance hears it. A faint, but definite, heartbeat.

 "Don't die on me yet," Lance murmurs.

 Reassured, knowing he's still alive, Lance continues to try and pull him up. He even goes as far as to try and break some of the restraints. Sadly, the small rocks that are close by and his fists barely manage to make a couple of scratches on the chains, let alone break them.

 Some broken rocks and sore fingers later, Lance has run out of options. Even if he managed to break the chains, and get the boy to the surface, Lance doesn't know how he could get the water out of his lungs and for him to breathe. The only thing he does know is that this boy is dying, and there's nothing Lance can do to help him.

 "But it's not like I can just let him die!" Lance yells, frustrated.

 As the words leave his mouth, a memory resurfaces in Lance's mind, and he raises his eyebrows at the thought of it.

 "Or can I?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any questions please comment them or hit me up on my IG @emo.texas.toast!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance remembers an old legend he was told as a kid. Hoping it might be true, he waits around for something to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I want to point out one thing, in the original scene the artist drew I MAY have changed it a little. Not too bad, but Lance doesn't use those exact words. Please don't hurt me.) Wow, okay, this chapter turned out much longer than I thought it'd be. Like 90% of it is a flashback. Sorry about that. But things start to pick up soon. So once again THANK YOU for the kudos and comments, they really help keep me motivated. I don't really know what else to say, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!

_10 years ago._

_  
"Hey, Mom?" Lance asked._

_"Yes, sweetie?"_

_"Can you tell me story?" He pleaded with hearts in his eyes._

_His mother chuckled at the sight of it, "Didn't I just finish telling you one?"_

_"Yeah, but I'm not sleepy yet!" Lance whined._

_"As this rate, I'm gonna run out of stories," his mother hummed._

_"But-" he tried to start._

_"You could tell him about the rebirth legend."_

_Lance looked over at the doorway and saw his older sister, Apis, floating there with two of his other sisters._

_"What rebirth legend?" He questioned._

_"I don't think Lance is old enough for a story like that," his mother said worriedly._

_"Ready for what?" Lance asked eagerly._

_Apis rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, it's not that bad."_

_"Yeah! I love that story!" One of Lance's sisters, Aery, chimed in._

_"Me too!" The other, Briedara, chirped dreamily, "It's sooo romantic!"_

_"Yes, but-" their mother started to say._

_"Can someone please tell me what you guys are talking about?" Lance practically shouted, "What kind of story?"_

_Apis smirked at him, "It's a story... about death!"_

_"Apis!" Their mother chided, "You know that's not what it's all about."_

_"Mom's right!" Briedara agreed, "It's about love!"_

_Apis crossed her arms, "It's also about death," she grumbled._

_"Mom! Mom! Can you please tell me the story?" Lance begged._

_His mother looked over at her son and was met with teary eyes she knew she couldn't say no to._

_She let out a deep sigh, "Fine."_

_All four of the sibling let out a victory shout._

_"But!" Their mother interrupted, "Lance has to promise to go to sleep as soon as I'm done."_

_"Deal!"_

_"All right," his mother waved his sisters over, "Well come on and get over here you three."_

_Each sister let out a squeal as they swam from the doorway, and piled into Lance's bed._

_"Okay, we're ready now!" Aery confirmed._

_Their mother nodded her head, and began to tell the story._

_**Once the was a beautiful, young mermaid princess. She was so beautiful, she could captured the eyes of any merfolk. But she was also as kind as she was beautiful. She never took advantage of her looks, and kindly turned down everyone who confessed their feelings to her.** _

_"Wait, why'd she do that?" Lance asked, confused, "If she was so pretty, she could have anyone she wanted! Why'd she turn 'em all down?"_

_"Shhh!" All three of his sisters hushed him._

_Lance began to pout and his mother offered him a smile, " I'm getting to that part, just listen."_

_Lance uncrossed his arms, and mumbled an okay._

_His mother gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and continued to tell the story._

_**She turned down even the most kindest and most desired merfolk, for her heart had already been taken. The only one who had managed to catch her affection was a kind and loving human.** _

_Briedara and Aery let out a dreamy sigh, and then it was Lance's turn to shush them._

_Their mother chuckled and continued on._

_**The man was a local fisherman from a nearby town. Everyday he went out to sea on his small boat to catch fish, and everyday the princess went to go meet the fisherman. They talked, and joked, and just genuinely enjoyed being in each other's presence.** _

_**Over time, the princess fell in love.** _

_**However, with every visit, they also had to say goodbye to each other every time he had to leave. It always left the princess longing for more time with him, hating how she could only see him once a day. So every night, before she went to bed, she always made a silent prayer for her desire to be fulfilled.** _

_**A few months passed, and the princess finally worked up the nerve to confess to the fisherman. She swore that the next day, when they met, she would tell him her true feelings.** _

_**Unfortunately, when the next day came and she was just about to leave to go meet him, a terrible storm started brewing. It was nothing like what anyone had ever seen before. The storm ravaged the waters so ruthlessly they said you could even feel it within the castle.** _

_**It was so bad, that the princess was forbidden to leave the castle that day.** _

_**Terrified, the princess spent every second hoping the fisherman had been able to leave before the storm hit. She never stopped worrying for him until the moment she was finally able to fall asleep.** _

_**The day after the storm, the skies were crystal clear. They showed no signs of the massive storm that occurred the day before. Almost as if it never happened.** _

_**Finally allowed to leave the castle, the princess sped to their usual meeting place. It was the fastest she ever swam in her life. However, when she broke the surface of the water, she was met with the one sight she feared the most.** _

_**There, littered about in the water, was the broken pieces of the fisherman's boat.** _

_**With tears streaming down her face, the princess dove back under the water to search the sea floor. Diving deeper, the princess was able to see more of the wreckage. Every piece she saw broke her heart even further. And when she reached the bottom, it was there she saw the only thing that could shatter her heart completely.** _

_**The fisherman's body. Cold and unmoving.** _

_**The princess let out a strangled cry as she slowly sank to his body. While she wept, she carefully picked up his body and held him close in her arms. Holding him tightly, the princess began to pray that this was all some bad dream. That the fisherman wasn't dead in her arms.** _

**She prayed for a way to be with him again.  
**  
  **** _ **Then, all of a sudden, the fisherman's body began to glow. The princess was filled with disbelief as she watched the fisherman's legs begin to change. As she watched the life return to his body.**_

_**And as she watched the fisherman open his eyes.** _

_"See! I told you it was about love!" Lance heard Briedara squeal._

_"Yeah, but the fisherman died," Apis fired back, "So it's also about death!"_

_"Wait a minute," Lance interrupted, "That's the end? What just happened?"_

_Apis and Briedara both opened their mouths to tell him, but Aery cut them off, "Well, the legend says that every time the princess made a prayer for the two to be together, the ocean was the one who was listening!"_

_"The ocean?"_

_"Yes! The ocean!" Aery exclaimed, "And when the princess prayed for a way to be with the fisherman again, when he died, the ocean decided to grant her wish!"_

_"So that means the fisherman came back to life, and as a merman?" Lance asked excitedly._

_"Exactly!" Aery answered, just as excited, "And they say, from that moment on, anytime a human dies in the sea, they're reborn as a mermaid!"_

_"Cool!" Lance howled, and then grinned up at his mother, "Hey, Mom, one day I'm gonna meet one and I'll introduce 'em to you."_

_"I can't wait to meet them, sweetie."_

_"Mom, please," Apis huffed, "Don't indulge him. It's not like he's actually ever going to meet one."_

_Lance's smile started to falter, "Why not?"_

_"Well because, silly," Aery answered for her, "It's just a story. It's not real."_

_"Sadly, yes," Briedara sighed, "Even the best love stories aren't really true."_

_"Hey now, be nice," their mother scolded, "Don't say those kinds of things to him."_

_"We're just telling him the truth!" Apis defended._

_"Yeah!" The other two agreed._

_"It's still not very nice," their mother pointed out to them._

_Lance had already begun to pout and his mother wrapped him in a hug, "Hey, it's okay," she soothed, "If you want to meet one and bring them over to visit, you have my permission."_

_"Really?"_

_"Really." His mother echoed._

_"Yes!" Lance cheered as he returned her tight embrace._

_"Alright, well a deal's a deal, and I believe you agreed to go to sleep." His mother reminded him._

_"Aww..." all four siblings whined._

_"No complaining," she spoke as she leaned down to kiss her son's forehead, "Goodnight, sweetie."_

_"Goodnight, Mom."_

_"Now," she said as she got up from his bed, "I also believe it's getting to be your girls' bedtime, as well."_

_"I was really hoping you forgot about that," Apis mumbled as the three left Lance's bed._

_"Come on," their mother guided them out he door, "Let's let Lance get some sleep."_

_As they left his room, Lance curled up in his bed to go to sleep. However, not before he whispered a silent promise._

_"I'm definitely gonna meet one."_

~~~

 "You know, looking back, I did kinda sound silly."

 Lance stops pacing, and runs his fingers through his hair, "I mean, all of my sisters told me it wasn't real. That it was just some old story. Heck, even Hunk said so!" He drags his hand down his face, "Apis wouldn't stop making fun of me for days."

 Lance takes a peek from between his fingers, and looks down at the boy's body.

 It's still the same as before. Unmoving, and not glowing.

 Letting out a tired sigh, he sinks to the ocean floor and sits next to the boy.

 "I don't even know what I'm doing," he says to no one in particular, "Say the legend is true, isn't he supposed to be alive and swimming by now?"

 Lance turns to face the boy, "I mean, look at you! You're definitely dead. And you're definitely in the sea. Shouldn't you be sprouting a tail right now?"

 His question, though, remains unanswered, as the boy continues to float limply.

 "Ughh... Hunk's gonna kill me when I get back," he groans, "I shouldn't even be here! You shouldn't be here!"

 Lance takes a moment to breathe then scoots closer to the boy, "Why _are_ you here?" He questions as he rests his palm on the boy's cheek, "Why would the humans do something, so cruel, to one of their own kind? What made them think you deserved this?"

 Lance offers him a weak smile, "It's okay, though," he speaks softly, stroking the boy's cheek with his thumb, "Because if the legend is true, I'll be right here to help you when you wake up. You're in good hands, now."

 "Plus," Lance chuckles, "I'm gonna need a witness for when Hunk kills me later."

 He lets his hand fall and starts to groan again, "I just wish it wouldn't take so long. Like, what am I supposed to do? Say some magic words? Abracadabra, now come back to life?"

 However, in that same moment, something began to change with the boy's body. Lance's eyes go wide as he witnesses the boy's body begin to glow.

 " _Holy mother of quiznak_ \- that actually worked?!"

 Lance goes still with awe, carefully watching when the changes start to take place.

 The shackles fall from the boy's ankles as his legs morph into a dark red tail. Similar colored scales are speckled across the rest of his body. His once smooth neck becomes etched with gills.

 And Lance lets out a gasp as he watches the boy's eyes flutter open.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No it didn't actually work, just the power of great timing.  
> (AbracaDABra *wink* *wink*)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy finally wakes up, alive and breathing. But as he becomes more aware of his surroundings, he's met with many surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HE LIVES!!!!!  
> So the chapters are starting to get longer and I'm really excited for what I have planned. I hope you guys like it too, it's some really juicy stuff (plus a whole lotta fluff). Please don't be afraid to leave a comment (they really help) and enjoy the chapter!

 "Holy quiznak, life made him hot!" The boy hears someone mutter; scrunching his face at the sound of it.

 "Oh my- Hey! Are you okay?"

 The boy slowly opens his eyes in response to the question and is met with a slightly blushing face only half a foot away from his own.

 "Oh, thank goodness!" The stranger sighs, "You're finally awake! I thought I was gonna have to wait even longer!"

 Confused, the boy tries to back away.

 "Oh, sorry," the stranger floats backwards, "You probably don't like me being all up in your face."

 "Uhh... yeah..." the boy drifts off as a thought comes to mind.

  _Wait a minute, floats?_

 The boy stops to take a look at the sight in front of him, and is left breathless by what he sees.

 The stranger in front of him is a young man with golden tan skin, making his bright blue eyes even brighter. He has matching short, brown hair, and the small freckles across his checks are highlighted by a faint blush.

 It's a sight the boy can only describe as beautiful. Making him start to wear a matching faint blush.

 Yet, despite his overwhelming beauty, when the boy's eyes travel downward, he realizes why the earlier thought concerned him.

 Not only does he find that the beautiful stranger has a blue tail in place of legs, but that he's also underwater.

  _And I'm right here with him._

 Immediately, the boy holds what little breath he has left. As he does, the stranger give him a questioning look.

 "Um, what are you doing?"

 The boy, though, doesn't respond as he continues to hold his breath.

 When his face starts to become even more red than a small blush, the stranger raises his eyebrows in understanding, "Ahh, I get it now!" He exclaims, "Listen I know this is gonna sound weird, but you have to trust me. You can breathe underwater."

 The boy gives him an accusatory look, unconvinced, and the stranger raises his hands in defense, "I know, I know! But please trust me on this."

 A moment passes, unchanged, and the stranger adds, "Plus, you've already talked to me. That requires breathing."

 Unable to hold his breath any longer, and not because the stranger had a point, the boy begins to breathe. Wearing a look of disbelief as he does so with ease.

 The stranger sees it, so he puts a hand over his heart in fake hurt, "You didn't believe me, did you?"

 The boy stutters a reply, "Not the point. Y-you have a tail!"

 "Well, duh," the stranger moves his hand to his hip, "That's kinda the thing that makes me a merman."

 "A merman?!"

 "Yes, a merman," the stranger leans closer to the boy, "Did you get hit too hard are the head?"

 The boy begins to blush again at the stranger's closeness, "What? No. I heard you just fine. What do you mean 'hit too hard on the head'?"

 "Nothing!" The stranger quickly straightens, "That's just what I assume what happened, you know, with you being unconscious and all."

 "Huh," the boy raises an eyebrow.

 "Anyways, I don't think you have the right to judge my tail." The stranger smirks, "You have one, too."

 The boy lets out a shriek of surprise when he looks down. Because at the place where his legs should be, is a tail just like the stranger said. Matching his exactly, except the boy's is a deep red.

 "Told ya."

 The boy looks back up at the stranger, "Who are you?" He demands, "Where am I? Why are we underwater? And why the _hell_ do I have a tail?"

 "Well-" the stranger almost answers, "Wait a minute. You're telling me you don't remember what happened to you?"

 The boy tries to remember. He remembers as far back as waking up just now, but nothing further.

 Giving up, the boy shakes his head, "I don't remember anything."

 "The legend didn't mention anything about that," the stranger mumbles.

 "What?"

 "Oh, it's nothing! I was just thinking out loud." The stranger clears his throat, "So like, anything _anything_? Do you remember where you're from? Who your family is? Do you even know your name?"

 The boy had been shaking his head at each of his questions, but stopped at the last one. A name came to his mind.

 "Keith." He answered.

 The stranger starts to smile, "Keith, huh?" He holds out his hand, "Well, Keith, my name is Lance."

 Keith, now knowing the stranger's name and his own, reaches over to shake Lance's hand. When he does, though, his arm jerks back.

 "What the-"

 Keith looks down at his hands; finally noticing the shackles attached to his wrists.

 "Of all the things you could know," Keith asks as he pulls on the chains, "Please tell me you know why these are here?"

 "Uhh... Unfortunately, no." Lance slowly answers, "I just found you here like that."

 "Great." Keith sighs.

 "Yeah, sorry."

 However, unknown to Keith, Lance silently flicks his tail to cover the other two shackles with sand.

 Keith gives up on the chains, looking back at Lance, "So what do we do now? I mean, somehow I lost my memories, became a mermaid-"

 "Merman." Lance interrupts.

 Keith shoots him a look, "Again. Not the point. I can barely lift one of these things," he points to an iron ball, "and I have no idea how to control this _thing_!"

 Lance looks down at where Keith is pointing to; laughing the entire time, "You're saying you don't know how to move you own tail? You just swim. You remember how to swim, don't you?"

 Keith glares at him.

 "Too soon?" Lance shrugs.

 Keith groans, and sinks down to the sand. Losing his memories should mean his mind is supposed to be empty, but Keith guesses it couldn't be more full. In just a matter of moments, Keith had amassed a mountain of questions with no real answers to.

 Keith closes his eyes trying to remember anything. He tries to think back to before he woke up with a "merman" in his face and all the other crazy things he discovered.

 He comes up with nothing.

 "You know, I might not be able to all of your questions, but I do know how to swim. I can teach you!"

 Keith opens his eyes to the sight of Lance's face inches in front of him. Surprised, Keith quickly sits back up, but not before hitting Lance's forehead with his own.

 "Oww... I might have deserved that, but still," Lance rubs his forehead, "Ow."

 Keith blushes, ignoring the same throb he feels in his forehead, as he remembers how close Lance was.

 "Sorry."

 "Nah, it's fine," Lance waves him off oblivious to the heat rising in Keith's face, "But enough waiting around, let's get you swimming!" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a heads up, I'm going to band camp for the rest of the week. So I don't know if I'll be able to post, but I'll definitely still write! Hopefully when I get back I can dump a bunch of new chapters on you guys!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith discovers swimming is harder than it looks, thankfully Lance is there to help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK GOD IM BACK FROM CAMP!!!! I'm not gonna lie it was really physically and emotionally draining. But I'm home now, so that's all that matters. However, I do want to apologize for my work ethic. This is the only chapter I managed to get done at camp (please don't hurt me). It's pretty long tho and I tried to include some fluff(?). I really want to know how you guys think I did so please leave a comment. Enjoy!

 Keith's never been one to be bad at anything.

 Or, at least, that's what he assumes. Seeing as how losing his memories deprived him of such knowledge. Nevertheless, Keith just likes to imagine that's the kind of person he is.

 So when Lance tells him he's doing it wrong for the third time, Keith finally loses it.

 "I'm sorry, but did you forget I've never done this before?" He snaps.

 "Correction," Lance raises his finger, "You don't _remember_ ever doing this before. I'm sure you've swam a bunch of times, you just can't remember."

 "Same difference." Keith shoots back.

 "Look, do you want my help or not?"

 Keith slumps over, "I'm sorry, okay? It's just that I don't understand why this is so hard for me."

 "Well, we've only been at this for a few minutes. Why don't you relax and try going slower?" Lance suggests.

 "Keyword: try"

 Lance chuckles at the comment, and Keith blushes at the sound. The deep richness of it stirring something within him. However, when he feels the warmth rise in his face, he shakes himself out of it.

 "Alright, come on, Keith." He mutters to himself, "Patience yields focus."

 "Hey, that actually sounds pretty cool. Did you come up with that yourself?"

 Keith feels something tug at the back of his mind. A memory. A _person_. Someone he deeply cares about. He feels like he should've never forgotten them, that they're too important to forget.

 But as fast as the feeling came, it soon disappears.

 Keith frowns, "No... I didn't..." he drifts off, "I think someone told me it... but I can't remember who."

  _Patience yields focus._

 Keith repeats the phrase in his head hoping it will trigger something. Anything. He believes if he can figure out who said it, he can find out more about who he is.

 Who he _was_.

 But no matter how many times he repeats it, nothing happens. No tug. No memory. Just Keith's growing frustration.

 "Well, who ever said it, it's pretty good advice." Lance offers him a smile.

 Keith returns the smile, grateful that Lance is trying to cheer him up.

 A peaceful second passes and Lance's smile shifts into a smirk, "You should consider taking it more often."

 "Ugh," Keith groans, "You just had to ruin it, didn't you?"

 Lance shrugs in response, "What can I say, it's one of my many talents."

 "The more I learn about you, the more I wish I didn't."

 " _Hey!_ "

 Keith returns the smirk Lance wore earlier, leaving Lance speechless. And Keith oddly finds himself proud of doing so.

 Lance clears his throat, "Okay. So, anyways, let's get back to focusing on swimming."

 "Whatever you say." Keith continues to smirk, and Lance is at a loss for words once again.

 However, he soon finds them as Keith struggles with his tail for the fourth time in a row.

 "No, no, no, stop. You're doing it all wrong!"

 "Well, it's kinda hard when you're arms are chained down." Keith pulling on said chains as proof.

 "Yeah, except you're only supposed to be moving your tail, not your arms." Lance points out, "If anything, those chains should be helping you. But since you're sooo set on using your arms, you end up failing."

 Keith moves his arms in what's supposed to be crossing them, but the shackles stop him from doing so. Keith grumbles to himself giving up on the attempt and leaving his arms at his sides. Annoyed with the ridiculousness of his situation.

 "Here, let me try something."

 Lance slowly swims around Keith; positioning himself behind him. He floats there for a moment, then, without warning, he takes a hold of Keith's wrists.

 Keith jumps at the touch.

 "Sorry!" Lance lets go, "I just thought this might help make things easier, you know?"

 "No, I know. I was just surprised that's all." Keith says as he mentally scolds himself for reacting in such a stupid way.

 "So can I?..." Lance asks for permission; lightly touching his wrists.

 "I mean it couldn't hurt, right?" Keith refuses to look back at him, as he replies, not wanting Lance to see the embarrassment he has written on his face.

 "Right." Lance readjusts his grip, "How 'bout you give it another try now?"

 Keith nods his head in response. Then taking a deep breath, Keith hesitantly moves his tail.

 At first, the attempt seems like it's going better than the previous ones. A hundred times better, actually. His arms remain still in Lance's grasp, and his tail is slowly moving the way he wants it to.

 "See! Now you're getting the hang of it!"

 Hearing Lance's words of encouragement, Keith starts to feel proud of himself.

 A little too proud.

 It all goes down hill when Keith picks up the pace. His newfound confidence spurring him to believe he's ready for it.

 However, he is, in fact, _not_ ready.

 Keith falls into old, and bad, habits the second he makes the decision to go faster. Distracted by the speed, Keith unconsciously struggles against Lance's grip. His body still stuck in the mindset of needing his arms it just happens

 Then his tail goes.

 It jerks in different directions not accustomed to the new burst of speed. Keith tries to regain control of his movements. He doesn't want to experience another failure, especially not with Lance as close as he is.

 Sadly, his desire goes unfulfilled. With both his arms and tail struggling, he ends up going through another failure anyways.

 Giving up, Keith stops moving, "This is impossible!" He screams, "You might as well just leave me here to die because apparently I can't even manage to swim normally!"

 "Hey," Lance swims around to face him, "You _were_ swimming. It just got a little messy at the end."

 "That's putting it lightly."

 Lance huffs out a laugh, "Maybe so. But what I'm saying is you don't have to swim that fast, Marlin. You just need to be able to swim."

 Keith gives him a confused look, "Marlin?"

 "It's a pretty fast fish."

 "So is that a compliment or an insult?" Keith asks.

 "Who knows?" Lance hums.

 Keith glares at him, but Lance laughs at the sight of it. Then Keith, no longer able to keep the look up, starts to laugh with him. It does him some good as his frustration goes away.

 Their laughter fades after a while, and Lance wipes away a fake tear, "Now that that's out of our system, you wanna give it another go?"

 "Not really," Keith sighs, "but I guess have to."

 "That's the spirit!"

 Lance swims back behind Keith, and grabs a hold of his wrists.

 "Okay, so this time, don't try to show off." Lance reminds him, "Just get your tail moving."

 "I know, I know." Keith groans.

 "Well then show me."

 Having already learned his lesson, Keith does as he's told.

 He cautiously moves his tail in an attempt to mimic what he did earlier. Before the "little messy part". All the while focusing on keeping his arms in check.

 To Keith's surprise, it works.

 Slowly, but surely, his tail moves the way he wants it to. In the direction he wants. It doesn't jerk wildly, and his arms don't struggle. 

 Excited by his improvement, Keith twists his body over to Lance.

 "Guess I showed y-"

 However, lost in his excitement, Keith forgot one major detail.

 Lance is only a few inches away.

 Keith's face immediately explodes into a fierce blush. And no matter how badly he wants to, Keith finds that he's unable to move. But not because of how close Lance is.

 It's because Lance's face is the exact same shade of red.

 Lance gulps, "Uhh..."

 Hearing him try to talk, Keith finally snaps out of his trance. He quickly whirls back forward.

 At the same time, Lance releases Keith's wrists and shoves his hands behind his back.

 "So..." both start, then stop.

 "Y-you go first," Keith manages to get out.

 "O-okay," Lance stutters, "Well, what I was going to say was that was good. _You_ did good."

 Keith nods his head in reply, "Yeah, I was gonna say something along those lines, but with a more 'rubbing it in your face' kinda feel."

 "Excuse me?!" Lance's voice cracks.

 A silent moment passes by and then Keith bursts out laughing. Lance soon cracking up with him. Their embarrassment from earlier fading away completely while they do so.

 When their laughter dies down, Lance swims to face Keith, "At least we can get you moving now."

 Keith stops laughing the moment he finishes the sentence. A terrible thought striking him.

 Lance notices the change in behavior.

 "Hey, what's wrong?" He asks.

 Keith looks him in the eye, "You know how I was joking when I said you should just leave me here to die?"

 "Yeah?..." Lance answers, still confused.

 "It might not be a joke, anymore"

 "What do you-" Lance stops as a wave of understanding washes over him.

 "Sure, I can move my tail," Keith says with none of the excitement from before, "but how am I supposed to _move_?"

 Lance's gaze falls down to the iron weights chained to Keith.

 "Quiznak."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dramatic chipmunk starts playing in the background*
> 
>  
> 
> (Y'all smell that plot development?)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being stuck at the bottom of the ocean isn't as bad at it seems. Keith gets to learn more things about Lance because of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The past few days have been a roller coaster for me. I stayed up all night rewatching season 1+2, watched season 3, my power went out, and then I slept for 20 hours. I honestly still can't believe what happened in season 3. But anyways this chapter was supposed to be longer and shorter than what it is. Longer in a sense of story wise, but shorter in that this part wasn't supposed last that long. Crossing my fingers that you guys will like it.

 You could say Keith's situation is pretty bad.

 Waking up in the middle of nowhere, and underwater no less.

 The first thing he sees is a beyond handsome merman. Then realizing he too is a merman.

 Struggling to even move his own tail. And when he does actually manage to move it, all his efforts are practically pointless because he's also chained down to the sea floor.

 So yeah, it's "pretty bad".

 Yet in the short amount of time all these things happened, Keith's come to terms with them. He's accepted it.

 The thing he won't accept is Lance's incessant pacing.

 "Crap, crap, crap, crap! What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do? Oh for the love quiznak, what am I gonna do?!"

 "You know, I don't think you're using that word correctly." Keith tells him with a bored look in his eyes.

 Lance shoots him a look, "Oh, my _apologies_. My grammar isn't really the best right now cause I'm a little busy with something. Like trying to figure out how the hell to get you out of here!"

 "And how's that going?"

 Lance opens his mouth to answer, but he comes up with nothing. Snapping his mouth shut and giving up on the response, he chooses to continue fretting back and forth. Muttering to himself the entire time.

 Keith takes a deep breath, "Will you stop with the pacing, already? It's not helping anyone. If anything, you're just showing off."

 Lance stops mid-sentence and glances over at Keith. His eyes landing directly on the shackles chained to him.

 He looks away.

 "Sorry." Lance mumbles.

 "If you're really sorry, then stop freaking out and get over here." Keith gestures at the spot next to him, "There's no point in you wasting your energy."

 Lance pauses for a second, weighing his options. Then, slouching over in defeat, he reluctantly swims towards Keith.

 "I guess you're right." He sighs while sitting down.

 "That's something that's been happening more frequently, hasn't it?" Keith nudges Lance.

 Lance shoves his arm back, "Pssh, you wish."

 Keith lets out a low chuckle, and Lance blushes slightly at the sound.

 He quickly turns away so Keith can't see it, "Anyways... how are you so calm? Shouldn't you be more worried about all this?" Lance points at the weights, "Hell, I'm doing enough worrying for the both of us."

 Keith takes a moment to consider his words.

 He guesses he _should_ be more freaked out. He is chained to the bottom of the ocean with no idea on how to get out. And even if he did, he's just barely able to move his tail now. He probably wouldn't get very far on his own.

 That is, if he knew _where_ to go.

 Another thing to add to the list being he doesn't even remember who he was. Where he came from.

 But despite all those uncertainties, for some odd reason, Keith's still unmoved.

 Okay, maybe he's a _little_ bothered by it. Just not as much as he should be.

 It's almost as if he accepted his fate a long time ago.

 The last thought stirs something within Keith, kind of like a memory. However, the feeling soon disappears.

 Keith dismisses it as nothing and shrugs at Lance, "I don't really know why."

 "Gee, thanks for the great answer. It really cleared things up."

 Keith purses his lips, "I'm sensing some sarcasm."

 "You think?" Lance says as he tilts his head to the side.

 Keith copies the action, "Yeah, maybe just a little."

 "Seriously, though," Lance straightens out with a chuckle, "There has to be a reason. You can't just _not_ know."

 Keith relaxes and leans back, "I mean, it could be because, out of everything that's happened so far, this is the one that's the least surprising."

 Lance raises a eyebrow, "You do realize you're talking about being chained down here, right?"

 "Of course I do! I didn't lose my memories twice."

 "Hey," he raises his hands in defense, "just making sure."

 Keith huffs out a breath, "What I'm trying to say is that I woke up underwater with no memories, met a merman, and then discovered I'm one too. Nothing could surprise me at this point, honestly."

 "I guess that makes sense." Lance mumbles while nodding.

 "Are you satisfied now?"

 Lance falls back onto the sand, "Not really," he hums, "but it'll do for now."

 "You're hopeless."

 Lance raises a finger at Keith, "That I am."

 Keith rolls his eyes and joins him on the sea floor.

 But while Lance has his eyes closed, Keith's are wide open. He gazes up towards the surface; taking in the sights around him.

 The endless blue. Scattered green seaweed. Dull chunks of rock. The glare of a setting sun.

 It's not much, but the peaceful beauty of it all leaves Keith breathless.

 However, lost in his thoughts, Keith doesn't notice it when Lance opens his eyes. When, instead of looking at the surface, he looks at Keith. When a small blush dances across his cheeks.

 When the overwhelming beauty of Keith leaves Lance breathless.

 "Hey, do you know what time it is?"

 Keith's question shocks Lance out of his starring, and he slams his eyes shut. All the while hoping Keith never saw them open in the first place.

 Thankfully, for Lance, he didn't as Keith calmly turns his head to face him, "Well?"

 "Hmm?" Lance hums while keeping his eyes closed.

 Keith takes a tired breath, "I asked if you know what time it is."

 "Oh, it's probably around-"

 Lance cuts himself off with a gasp, one that kind of surprises Keith, and immediately sits up.

 He starts yanking on a chain as he mutters wildly to himself, "Oh god, oh god, we gotta get you out of here. We gotta get you the quiznak out of here."

 "Woah, woah, slow down there." Keith rests a hand on top of Lance's, "Why are you freaking out again, and why in such a rush this time?"

 He keeps his eyes trained on the chain, "You don't understand. He doesn't like it when I go out as far as I did, but I went even further! Hell, forget about that, what about how _long_ I've been gone? It's been way over forty-five minutes." Lance mumbles frantically, "Which is why we _have_ to get you moving!"

 "Who are you talking about?"

 Lance looks Keith dead in the eye, "Hunk."

 "Hunk?"

 Lance nods in reply, "Listen, I love the guy. He's like a brother to me. But when he gets mad..." he shivers at the thought, "no one is safe. Not even me!"

 "Uhuh, and why would he be mad at you?" Keith asks still confused.

 "You idiot! I've been gone for almost two hours now, and Hunk said only forty-five minutes!"

 Keith jerks his hand back, hurt by Lance's words, "Alright, geez, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

 "No, wait," Lance gently grabs Keith's hand, "You're right, you didn't know, and I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just that I don't know what he's doing right now. If he's still where I left him, or if he started an ocean-wide search party for me."

 Keith squeezes his hand, "Hey, I get it, you're frustrated and that's okay." He offers Lance a half-smile, "Just give me a warning next time."

 Lance doubles the smile, "Thank you, Keith. Now can you help me unchain you?"

 "Do I have to?" He groans sarcastically.

 "Don't forget that you're the one stuck here, not me." Lance waving his hands as proof.

 "I guess that's enough motivation."

 "Hey, I could just leave you here." Lance turns around and slowly swims away, "I'm free to go."

 "Lance, get back here." Keith calls out with only a twinge of fear in his heart that Lance is actually serious.

 He stops swimming, but doesn't immediately come back. He remains floating there for a few seconds that feel like an eternity to Keith.

 "Nahhh, I'm just kidding," Lance quickly swims back, "I'm in this for the long run."

 Keith gives a silent thanks then brushes off the moment of panic with a - maybe _too_ forced - laugh, "And what, exactly, is 'this'?"

 If Lance noticed his strain, he doesn't say anything. Instead, he simply returns to Keith's side, "Oh, ya know, just the basic necessities."

 "Like?..." Keith prods.

 Lance beams at him and starts rattling off things, "Well, first of all, you're gonna meet my best friends: Hunk and Pidge. I've known Hunk all my life. He's the best kind of guy you could ask for, just don't get on his bad side."

 "Noted."

 "Then there's Pidge. She's smaller than your average mermaid, but she'll still kick your ass in record time. She's also a genius when it comes to everything and lives to torment me."

 "Oh, thank goodness," Keith sighs dramatically, "At least there's someone out there who'll do it."

 "Excuse you!" Lance puts a hand on his chest, "I'll have you know she can be pretty terrifying."

 "You're friends sound amazing."

 Lance crosses his arms and pouts, "They _are_ amazing. And if you're gonna be like that, then I won't tell you the rest of what I had planned."

 Keith stifles a giggle, "I'm sorry. Please, continue."

 Lance continues to pout for a couple seconds longer then, puffing out a sigh, his shit-eating grin returns, "I'm pretty sure you don't mean that, but I'm gonna keep going anyways."

 "I mean it!" Keith says defensively.

 "Mhmm..." Lance gives him a pointed look, "Anyhow, the next thing we're going to do is have you meet my family..."

 Keith smiles fondly at Lance as he lists of facts about home.

 Like how he has five older sisters and one younger. That he was the one who came up with Hiromi's - his younger sister - nickname, "Hiro". How Briedara falls in love with any merman she meets. The times Apis seems like she's cold, but is always there for him in the end. Whenever Pidge would come over just to talk with Noa. The pranks he and Aery used to pull, then Morea scolding them for it. Even though she laughed sometimes as she did.

 Some may say Lance is rambling, that it's annoying, but Keith doesn't think of it like that.

 He enjoys Lance's talking; how he puts everything into his words. His wild gestures, his smiles, and the way his eyes light up: all of them make Keith want to listen more.

 Because even though Keith can't remember his own family, or if he actually has one, he can still recognize one.

 And Lance definitely has one.

 "... My mom is the best hunter out there; she can literally catch anything in this ocean. She's even better than Hunk and that's saying something!"

 "I one-hundred percent mean this when I say you're family sounds amazing." Keith praises.

 "Mmmm... I believe you." Lance's smile grows bigger, "Ooo! After all that we've gotta play with the baby dolphins, swim with the adults, ride killer whales, hunt for treasure-"

 "That's a lot of things to do." Keith interrupts.

 Lance tsks, "You didn't let me finish."

 "There's more?"

 "Yes! The last thing I have planned _so far_ , when you're finally capable of doing so," Lance smirks, "is you and me are gonna have a race."

 Keith returns the favor, "You're on."

 "Awesome! Well now you really have to help me get you outta here. So you got any bright ideas?"

 "I don't know, I guess we could both try to lift one of these things together and go from there?" Keith suggests with a shrug.

 Lance gives him a thumbs up, "It's better than my nothing, so let's go with that!"

 Keith rolls his eyes while Lance reaches down to one of the weights. Keith follows him a second later, placing his hands next to Lance's.

 Lance clears his throat, "Okay, on three. One... two... three!"

 They both pull up as hard as they can, expecting a lot of resistance. But when they do, the ball jumps out of their hands an inch or two.

 "Woah," Lance says when it's back in their palms, "I did not think that was going to happen."

 Keith tilts his head in confusion, "Yeah, it barely moved when I tried lifting it earlier."

 "Guess you're not as strong as you think." Lance's mouth curves into a smile.

 "Or, it's just easier with the two of us." Keith points out.

 "That too."

Keith gives up on a response, so he just grunts instead. Lance looking all too pleased with himself as he does.

 Then, Keith comes up with an idea and his mouth twitches into a grin.

 "What are you so happy abou-"

 Lance's sentence is suddenly cut off when Keith releases the weight from his grasp.

 Lance struggles to keep the weight up by himself, especially since he wasn't prepared. He looks up at Keith, asking for help, but he doesn't move. He just looks away from Lance.

 Finally realizing he won't help, Lance removes his hands from underneath the ball. He lets it sink back to Keith's side.

 "Thanks for the warning."

 "Oh, I'm sorry," Keith says innocently, "was that too heavy for you?"

 "You-" Lance meets his eyes, which have turned stern, and stops himself, "Alright, I deserved that."

 Keith raises an eyebrow, "And?"

 "And I'm sorry." Lance exhales, "You're probably pretty strong; the weight's just really heavy."

 Keith nods with approval, "That's better. Now you and your sticks-for-arms help me pick this thing up."

 "I wanna make it _very_ clear that I did not admit to that."

 But Keith gives no reply as he hums to himself. He just bends over to the weight. Lance grumbling a while longer before he joins him.

 "Alright." Keith chuckles, "Ready and... lift!"

 This time, when they pull it up, they use a little less force and the weight remains in their hands.

 But it just stays there.

 "Now what?" Keith asks.

 "Uhhh... well... I guess we could drop this over there," Lance nods to a spot a few inches away, "then do the same thing with the other one and just keep repeating the process?"

 Keith lets his head sag forward, "So you're saying we gotta keep doing that until we get to wherever you live?"

 Lance's head falls, too, "Pretty much. I know it sucks, but it's the best idea I got. The only idea, really."

 "No it doesn't," Keith looks up, "I'm just impatient and this is gonna take a while."

 Lance lifts his head giving Keith a half-smile, "At least you're finally admitting to it."

 "Hey! That's not the point I was trying to make!"

 "I'm serious, Keith, admission is the first step." He says with a not-at-all-serious laugh.

 Keith rolls his eyes, "Uhuh. Sure."

 Lance just laughs harder.

 Keith doesn't know much about Lance, though he one-hundred percent intends to change that, he's for sure about one thing.

 He likes Lance more when he's like this.

 Not when he's freaking out about what'll happen, or when he's criticizing himself.

 But when he's laughing. Smiling. Talking about the ones he loves. When he's teasing and cracking jokes, even if it's at Keith's expense.

 When he's happy.

 "Alright. Alright. Come on, moving now, therapy later."

 Lance tries to control his laughter, "I'll hold you to that, but, for now, I guess we should get going."

 Keith shakes his head with a grin, "How is it you always manage to miss my point?"

 "Oh, no, I fully understand. It's just..." he starts to explain, but drifts off.

 Keith's smile falters, "Hey. What's wrong?"

 "Did you hear something just now?"

 "Other than you, no." Keith shrugs, "Why? Did _you_ hear something?"

 Lance nods, "Yeah. I swear I heard someone say..."

 "Laaannce!"

 "...my name." He finishes.

 Lance turns his head in the direction of the sound, but he doesn't get very far. Because in a flash of dark skin and bright yellow, Lance is tackled to the ground.

 It happens so fast, Keith is barely able to comprehend it all. Though one thing is for sure.

 Keith lied earlier.

  _Now_ nothing can surprise him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's one way to make an entrance.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance deals with the repercussions of his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My work ethic sucks, so jot that down. Anyway the same issue that happened last chapter happened to this one. Supposed to be longer, but ended up shorter, then ended up longer. You know the drill. Also I've noticed I move the story a lot through "talking" and I really hope you guys don't mind it. This is my first fic after all. Other than that, I don't have much to say so lets get to it!

 "Hunk...buddy...pal...let's talk about this."

 Lance has been down this road more times than he'd like to admit.

 It'd all start with Lance doing something stupid. Then, Hunk would tell him it's stupid and try to get him to stop. Obviously, Lance wouldn't listen, and just go do it anyways. However, Hunk would end up telling Lance he's right as something would almost always go wrong. Thankfully, Hunk's too much of a softie to not help him.

 So usually this is the part where Lance would get an earful from Hunk - maybe a sister or two -, beg for forgiveness, Hunk would reluctantly give it, and they'd be off on their next adventure.

 But it's not looking like that's the case right now.

 "Oh no. Not this time." Hunk tightens his choke hold on Lance, "Do you know how long I waited there for you?!"

 Lance struggles against his grip, "...I don't know...an hour?"

 "An hour and a half!" He cries while unconsciously squeezing harder, "I thought you were captured or dead!"

 "I might be soon."

 Hunk ignores Lance as he begins to ramble, "I was this close to going back home for help when I thought: 'What if he needs help now and I take too long?' So here I go, booking it in the direction you went, screaming your name, and looking everywhere for you."

 "Well... Congratulations, you found me!"

 Lance can feel Hunk's glare, "Yeah, I found you. I found you completely safe and just taking your time flirting with someone!"

 Lance's jaw drops, "I-I was not flirting!"

 "There's no point in lying, Lance, cause you're already dead meat!"

 This is it. This is how Lance dies. Not even one year past maturity, and this is how he goes.

 Strangled to death by his best friend.

 Not the most honorable way to go, but he probably should've seen this coming.

 At least he got to see one beautiful thing right before his end.

 "Uhmm... Could you please _not_ kill him?"

 Speak of the devil.

 "I'm kinda in a situation right now, and he's the only one who's been here to actually help. But I promise you can go to town on him as soon as he's done."

 Hunk loosens his grip and looks down at a sprawled out Keith, "You're still here?"

 "Believe me, I'd give anything to be able to leave." Keith shrugs.

 Hunk looks over at his wrists and finally notices the shackles, "Lance, I swear to God. I don't know who this is, but if this is a new kink of yours, I'm seriously considering disowning you as my best friend."

 Lance really starts struggling now, "What- no! That's not what this is! If you just let me explain-"

 "Oh, please." Hunk cuts him off by strengthening his hold, "Like you could give me one explanation that doesn't sound crazy, faked, or _kinky_ in anyway."

 "I-"

 "I don't mean to interrupt your...lovely...conversation, but I'm pretty sure I could explain," Keith waves his hand around, "all this better than he can."

 "Keith I really don't think you're helping right n-"

 Hunk covers Lance's mouth with his hand and peers down at Keith, "You've got my attention."

 Keith takes a deep breath, "Well somehow I got knocked unconscious, lost my memories, and chained down here. Though, I don't know if it was necessarily in that order. Then, when I woke up, Lance was here screaming in my face."

 Lance yanks down Hunk's hand, "I was not!"

 But Hunk pulls it back up with ease, "Hush!"

 Lance grumbles behind his hand as Keith resumes giving Hunk the rundown, sparing no details.

 Keith explains his own surprise about realizing he and Lance are mermen. When he discovered the weights and how neither of them could move one by their self. His failures and eventual success at learning how to swim.

 He even tells Hunk about some of Lance's less glamorous moments like when he had to drop the weight. Or when he freaked out... Twice.

 Normally, Lance would be kicking and screaming at what Keith is saying. But it's what he's _not_ saying that's keeping him still.

 Like how he skips over the moments of laughter they shared. Or when their faces were literally inches apart. All the teasing they did to each other.

 Every time Keith gets close to mentioning one of these things, his face turns a shade of red and quickly brushes past the subject.

 But it's not like Lance can blame him because he can feel his own face grow warmer as well.

 "...then you show up out of nowhere and full-on tackle Lance to the ground. Which I would say is very impressive if it didn't cause this thing to go flying out of our hands and for me to be stuck in this, starting to be uncomfortable, position. And I'm sure you know the rest."

 After Keith's done explaining, everything goes quiet. Keith with nothing left to say, Hunk mulling over what he said, and Lance still having a hand over his mouth.

 The silence is borderline awkward.

 Thankfully, Hunk breaks it with a heavy sigh, "Well, your story sounds a little crazy, and a bit faked, but...it's not _too_ hard to believe."

 Keith and Lance let out a breath of relief.

 "But to be fair, I said _Lance_ couldn't give me a reasonable explanation. I never said anything about you...Keith? Did I get that right?"

 Keith nods his head, "You're right. And that's a pretty fair way of looking at it."

 Lance audibly gasps behind Hunk's hand, and the other two burst out laughing. Both of them are _clearly_ starting to have way too much fun with this.

 Now Lance would be mad - he was just about to resign himself to grumbling again - if it weren't for their "enjoyment" creating just the opportunity he needed. Absorbed in their laughter, Hunk unconsciously relaxes his arms. Lance gives it another second or two before he decides to take action.

 "You know what, Keith?" Hunk chuckles, "I like you. You're not so bad- HEY! Get back here!"

 While he was distracted, Lance manages to escape from Hunk's arms. He frantically swims to the other side of Keith, making sure to put enough distance from Hunk.

 When he's confident he's somewhat safe, Lance finally gives them a piece of his mind, "No! I will not get back over there! I'm not gonna take the abuse anymore." He points an accusing finger at Hunk, "You. If you would of given me the chance to explain, I was gonna tell you the exact same thing Keith did - minus the obvious insults. But _noooo,_ youjust had to trust him more than me. You don't even know him!"

 "I'm sorry, but I was kinda mad at you. Which, now that I mention it, I still am!" Hunk makes a beeline towards Lance, "Now just hold still so I can strangle you!"

 "No thanks!" Lance dodges him and swims for his life as Hunk chases him around in circles. The one good thing about being smaller than him is that Lance is faster. Thank god. "And Keith! How could you feed me to the sharks like that?!" Lance throws his arms up in disbelief, " _I thought we bonded!_ "

 Out of the corner of his eye, Lance sees Keith shrug, "Hey man, I was just telling him the truth."

 "Well you could be a little nicer about it!"

 "And you could stop moving so fast!" Hunk shouts as he begins panting, "I have been swimming... _way too_ fast...in _way too_ short amount of time!"

 Lance avoids Hunk's attempt to grab him, "THEN STOP CHASING ME!"

 "NEVER!"

 " _Hey guys_!" Keith calls out, "This has been fun and all, but I'm beginning to lose feeling in my arm. So if you two could press the pause button on your game of tag, that'd be great."

 "Excuse you! This 'game of tag' is Hunk trying to kill me!" Lance snaps.

 Hunk huffs out a laugh, "I think you're mistaken, I'm not 'trying' anything. I'm gonna kill you!"

 "Guys, guys!" Keith tries to get their attention, "My arm? Aren't you forgetting about my arm and how I don't want to be stuck like this forever?"

 Hunk comes to an abrupt stop and Lance reluctantly follows suit on the other side of Keith. However, he is one-hundred and fifteen percent prepared to to swim for his life again, if need be.

 "Can't you two call it even and come help me already?"

 Keith looks back and forth between the two as they both remain floating in place. Neither saying a word. Hunk is just looking down at the sand, and Lance eyeing him wearily.

 When it starts to seem like things are going nowhere, Keith gives Lance a pointed look, "Say something." He silently mouths.

 Lance quietly raises his hands in confusion, "Like what?"

 "I don't know. Maybe: I'm sorry?" His expression thick with sarcasm.

 Lance bites back a gasp, trying to stay quiet, "He's the one who had me in a choke hold! He should apologize!"

 Keith gives him a bored look, but Lance just crosses his arms in response. He refuses to be the one who apologizes first. Sure, he was originally planning to, but that was before Hunk went nuts on him.

 So now? Lance's lips are sealed.

 However, their silent exchange gets interrupted when Hunk lets out a tired sigh. It causes Lance and Keith to both jump in surprise. But while Keith can only lie still on the ground, Lance flings his arms in a defensive position.

 "That's a fair reaction, but dude. Relax." Hunk says as he slowly makes his way over to Lance, "Now, I wouldn't say we're 'even', but I guess it's close enough." He holds out his hand when he reaches Lance, "I'm sorry for almost killing you, okay?"

 His arms still up, Lance eyes Hunk's gesture skeptically. Though it seems like Keith is having none of Lance's stubbornness.

 " _Lance_ , is there anything you'd like to say to him?"

 "Not really." He mumbles.

 Keith fixes him with a death stare, and Lance knows he's done it now. He's fairly sure that Hunk isn't the only one he should be worried about. This'll be the _one time_ Lance is grateful for those chains.

 "Ugh, fine." Not wanting to push his luck any further, Lance grabs Hunk's hand, "I'm sorry, too. For, ya know, being gone so long and making you worry."

 Hunk squeezes his hand with a smile and, in a habit, the corner of Lance's mouth lifts into one as well. Then, not even a moment later, Hunk pulls Lance into a fierce hug.

 "I'm just so relieved you're okay!" Hunk hugs him tighter, "You really had me worried!"

 "Hunk...buddy..." Lance manages to choke out, "I love you and your hugs...but I won't be okay for long if you keep this up."

  _I guess they'll have to change my cause of death from "strangled" to "hugged" now. At least I can say I died loved._

 "Oh!" Hunk quickly releases Lance, "Sorry. I got a little emotional."

 Lance places a hand on his shoulder and takes a breath, "And I love that about you, buddy. Just make sure I'm able to breathe next time it happens, okay?"

 "Deal." He chuckles.

 Lance looks up at Hunk and smiles. He never really could stay mad at him for too long. Yeah, small fights like this have happened, but no one's perfect. Certainly not Lance. Besides, they've been through too much together for something so small to make them stay mad at each other.

 "Awww, that's _so_ sweet. I'm glad you two could patch things up. Meanwhile, I've lost all feeling in my right arm, so that's good. Oh wait. IT'S NOT!"

 Lance eyes Keith from over his shoulder, "I may have forgiven Hunk, but you're still on thin ice."

 Keith's jaw drops in shock, "What the hell, man? Why?"

 "Hmmm... I wonder." Lance taps his chin, "Oh yeah! You see, Hunk's actually a sweet guy underneath all his muscle and my best bud for life-"

 Hunk sheepishly rubs the back of his neck and gives a small wave to Keith, "Hi."

 "-On the other hand," Lance fully turns to face him, "you were kinda mean to me. On several occasions. So maybe I just wanna leave you there for a little while longer 'till I get my apology."

 "Alright! I'm sorry! Can you please help me up now?" Keith pleads as he pulls on the chains.

 Lance closes his eyes, crosses his arms, and hums to himself. He's trying to make it look like he's thinking, but in reality, he's just drawing this out for as long as he can. It's just too fun watching Keith squirm.

 "Lance, don't be mean."

 Lance opens one eye to see Hunk swimming over to Keith. He knew this was probably gonna happen. The guy's just too nice to let Lance have his fun.

 Lance clicks his tongue and follows Hunk, "Come on, Hunk. You know I was messing around. I'm obviously gonna help...him."

 Lance's original idea was for him and Hunk to lift the weight _together_. But he guesses Hunk had other plans.

 Instead of waiting for Lance to join him, Hunk immediately bends down and picks up the weight. Just like that. No struggle or anything. It's as if he's holding a baby sea turtle.

 Lance should know. He's seen Hunk go crazy over the little guys. Several times.

 Lance whistles, "Hunk, buddy, you're strength never ceases to amaze me."

 Hunk blushes as he sets the weight down at Keith's side, "Aww, thanks."

 But as impressed as Lance is, he gets the feeling Keith isn't the same way. Even though he should be happy that his arm is back at his side, he doesn't show any signs of it. Keith just sits there, eyes wide, and jaw hanging slightly open.

 Concerned, Lance taps him on the shoulder, "Hey man, are you okay?"

 Keith ignores his touch, still gaping at Hunk, "I understand your fear now."

 Lance throws his arms down in exasperation, "THANK YOU!"

 It might've taken a live demonstration, but at least Keith finally gets it. Hunk's a sweetheart, no doubt about that, but Lance wasn't kidding when he said Hunk has muscles. Muscles he knows how to put to use if someone gets on his bad side.

 "What are you two talking about?"

 "Nothing!" They both jump at the same time.

 "Uhuh. Sure." Hunk glances between the two, "...Anyways, we should probably get going soon. Cause I don't know about you, Keith, but me and Lance have been gone for  _way_ too long."

 The color drains from Lance's face, "Oh quiznak. Mom is gonna kill me."

 Keith leans towards Hunk and lowers his voice, "Does everyone have it out for him or something?"

 Hunk laughs, "Man, if you think I'm bad, wait 'till you meet his mother. Yemna is one mermaid you do not wanna mess with."

 "Judging by Lance's expression, I'll take your word for it."

 "You both suck at whispering." Lance shoots them a dirty look, "Seriously, guys, we really should be leaving!"

 "Calm down, calm down." Hunk swims across Keith and places a reassuring hand on Lance's shoulder, "Listen, I know I can't lift both of these things-"

 "Way to make me feel better."

 Hunk squeezes his shoulder, "- _But_ , between the three of us, I think we could get back home before it gets too late."

 Lance jumps up, his mood doing a one-eighty, "Well why didn't you say so in the first place?!"

Hunk raises a finger at him, "You're the one who interrupted me. If you would've just let me finish my-"

 "No time for explanations!" Lance cuts him off, "We gotta get moving!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only thing you need to know is that Hunk LOVES sea turtles.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism greatly appreciated! Lay it on me, I can take it!


End file.
